Is It Safe to Feed Your Crested Gecko Oranges?
Last Updated: January 25, 2023
Being a good pet lizard person includes feeding your pet a nutritious diet, including fresh fruit. There are a lot of fruits for crested geckos and some they shouldn’t have. What about oranges? Can crested geckos eat oranges? Are they a good choice, or should you avoid them?
Crested geckos should not eat oranges. Oranges contain a compound that makes them dangerous for crested geckos. Oranges and other citrus fruits are not a safe part of their diet.
What makes oranges different from other fruits? Are there other fruits I can feed my crestie?
These are crucial things to understand to be an informed pet lizard parent. Keep reading to learn more!
Do Crested Geckos Eat Oranges in The Wild?
We study what an animal eats in their natural habitat so we can give them a healthy, proper diet in captivity.
Sweet orange trees are from China and date back thousands of years.
Surprisingly, it was never a wild fruit. From the beginning, sweet oranges were a hybrid grown by mixing the pomelo and the mandarin orange.
So, which came first, the name of the fruit or the name of the color? The fruit. The oldest use of the word ‘orange’ in English to describe a color dates back to 1512, long after the fruit had its name.
Today, most sweet oranges are grown just outside of the tropics. The plants grow best in warm temperatures and a lot of sunshine and water.
Across the world, there are over 400 different varieties of oranges. The Valencia orange is the most widely grown sweet orange variety in the US. Some are sold as fresh fruit, while some become juice.
Sweet oranges are among the world’s most popular fruits.
But what about cresties?
Crested geckos live on the islands of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean. These tropical isles are humid and wet.
Some citrus fruits are native here. Since the Valencia orange is not naturally occurring, it is likely not found in the rainforests where crested geckos live.
Even though a wild crested gecko has never tasted the oranges we eat, that does not make them unsafe.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of oranges to learn more.
Nutritional Value
Oranges have many helpful nutrients that may benefit health.
The nutrients in raw navel oranges, calculated by a standard serving of 3.5 ounces (or 100 grams), are:
- Calories: 52
- Water: 87%
- Protein: 0.91 grams
- Carbohydrates: 11.8 grams
- Sugar: 8.57 grams
- Fat: 0.15 grams
- Calcium (Ca): 43 milligrams
- Phosphorous (P): 23 milligrams
- Iron (Fe): 0.33 milligrams
- Magnesium (Mg): 10.7 milligrams
- Potassium (K): 166 milligrams
- Sodium (Na): 9 milligrams
- Zinc (Zn): 0.11 milligrams
- Copper (Cu): 0.064 milligrams
- Vitamin C (total ascorbic acid): 59.1 milligrams
Oranges are a rich source of Vitamin C. They also contain folate and smaller amounts of other nutrients.
Eating citrus fruits, including oranges, may benefit your health in several ways. They might help heart health, reduce the risk of some diseases, and strengthen the immune system.
In moderation, oranges are healthy for humans.
So Why Are Oranges Bad for Crested Geckos?
Unfortunately, there aren’t lots of studies on the health impact of feeding oranges to crested geckos.
So how do we know they are unhealthy for cresties?
We need to look at some of the nutrients in oranges, specifically calcium, phosphorous, and oxalic acid.
What Is the Calcium-Phosphorous Ratio?
All reptiles, including crested geckos, need calcium (Ca).
Calcium is essential for healthy bones and helps the heart, nerves, and blood function.
A body gets calcium either from its food or by removing it from its bones. In this way, bones serve as a “savings account.” Frequent withdrawals will leave the body without enough calcium to function.
Many pet reptiles do not get enough calcium from their diet, which leads to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).
Another factor for MBD is phosphorous. Phosphorous (P) stops the body from using calcium. When the body can’t get all the calcium in the food, it has to take it from its bones.
Unfortunately, both Ca and P are present in many fruits and vegetables. Getting the right amounts of each isn’t easy.
Oranges have 40 milligrams of calcium and 14 milligrams of phosphorous.
Calcium-to-Phosphorous Ratio
Oranges have a 2.9:1 Ca:P ratio, which is more than the recommended amount.
If this were the whole story, we would say that oranges are very healthy for crested geckos. But oranges are not safe for them. So, what is the problem?
Oxalic Acid Content
Oxalic acid is another compound that also interferes with calcium. Unfortunately, there is no ideal ratio for oxalic acid. We want to keep the oxalic acid content as low as possible.
Oranges, like all citrus fruits, are high in oxalates.
What does this mean?
Eating oranges makes it harder for the body to absorb calcium from food. To get enough, it must pull it from the bones.
Crested geckos already have a difficult time getting enough calcium. Most foods we feed cresties are low in calcium. Giving them oranges only makes that worse.
So, Are They Good or Bad?
Oranges are bad for crested geckos. It is unsafe to feed them to your pet lizard.
Why Can't Crested Geckos Eat Citrus Fruits?
Citrus fruits are off-limits for pet lizards. Why? And what makes something “citrus?”
Citrus fruits are all part of the same genus of plants, meaning they are related. Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are the most well-known types. Each has a thick rind and a pulpy center divided into segmented pieces. The part we eat is juicy and very acidic.
Not all citrus fruits are the same. For example, orange juice contains only one-fifth of the citric acid of lemon or lime juice.
But they are all full of calcium and high in oxalates. As you now know, we don’t want to give our crested geckos any oxalic acid.
Since all the fruits in this family share this trait, it is easy to make the blanket statement, ‘don’t feed your pet lizard citrus fruits.’
What Would Happen If You Fed a Crested Gecko Fresh Orange?
Oranges are not toxic. They don’t have a poison that will make you sick right away.
The problem is slower and can create long-term problems.
If a keeper were feeding a crested gecko this fruit often, we wouldn’t expect to see anything right away. Their pet would probably look happy and healthy for a while.
Over time, signs of calcium deficiency would develop. Early indicators include low energy level, lack of appetite, and not being to lift themselves. Their bones would weaken, and other symptoms of MBD would develop. MBD can cause death in pet reptiles.
When caught early, treatment for MBD is possible.
Reptiles are very good at hiding signs of illness. Contact your veterinarian right away if you notice changes in behavior.
Conclusion
Crested geckos should not eat oranges.
Oranges are very high in oxalates. This compound blocks the absorption of calcium. Pet lizards already have trouble getting enough calcium. Eating oranges makes that worse.
A crested gecko would likely not have an immediate bad reaction to eating an orange. Over time, the odds of getting MBD would go up.
There are lots of much healthier fruits to offer to your crested gecko instead. Read about feeding your pet blueberries and fresh mango to get started.
What about other fruits? Can Crested Geckos Eat Papaya?